Fire-escape.



E. H. D1512. FIRE ESCAPE".

APPLICATION HLED APR. I4. 1917.

' Pailtented-Mar. 4,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I- tNVENTOFl ATTOR N EY E. H. DIETZ. FIRE ESCAPE. AFPLHCATI ON FILED APR.14. 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

INVENIOR ,flzaiz,

WITNESSES ATTOR N EY E. H. DIETZ.

HRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION man APR. 14. 1917.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- lwwm W4 ATTORNEY ms mum L p parts broken "out,

citizen of the United States,

a line 3'3 of Fig." 2,

EnwAnn H. V DIETZ, or nUMsvILLn, caisson.

To all whom it may c0 @@m.--

'Be it known that I, EDWARD H. Draw, a

residing at Amnsville, in the county of Marion and [State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to improvementsin fire escapes, and more particularly tosuspension devices of this character.

The objectof the invention is toprovide a fire escape which may beattached to." the person of the user and whereby he may be automatically 1 lowered Without danger of slipping or falling. a

. Another obj eet is to provide an. improved brake for usein conneotion with apparatus of this character for controlling the speed of the descent of the user. With the foregoing and otherobjects'in view, whichwill appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter. de-

scribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed maybe made Within the scopeof What is claimed without departing fromthe spirit offthe invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1, represents a front elevationof a portion of a"bnilingfshowing this "improved fire escapeinuse, v 1 y I Fig. 2 is an enlarged rear 'elevat onbfthe 6 escape with the casing removed land Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig.2,

Fig. 5 is asimilar.viewtakenon the line 5+5 ofF1g.2,i Fig. 6 1s. a detail sectlonal view' taken on invention, and p Fig. 8 is a front elevation thereofwith parts broken, out.

In the einhodimentillus'trated ri si to 6, a' casing 1 is shown, composedof any suitable material preferably of light weight ends ofthe casing and designed to encircle Specification Letters Patent.

'55 and 56. f

'the parts to V r 7 having its other Fig. 7 is a sideelevation with parts broken outshowing a slightly different form of the the rear of rmn-nscnrn.

Patented Mar. a, 1919.

Application mean rn 14. 1917. Serial No. 162.088.

though not necessarily so, and forms two chambers 7 and 8.

A frame 50 is mounted withinthecasing 1 forming a rigid reinforce and support therefor and comprises laterally spaced front uprights 51 and 52 connected at their upper and lower ends by cross bars 53 and the body of the user at points below his arms 54: with laterally spaced rear uprights 55 p and 56. A crossbar 57 connects the two front uprights at a point near their lower ends and a corresponding oppositely disposed cross bar 58 connects the rear uprights A front plate 59 is secured to the front uprights 51 and 52 on their inner faces and extends from a point adjacent the upper oross bars 53 to a-point adjacent the partition 6, said partition being secured to said plate. This plate 59 is formed of any suitable metal of a thickness sufficient to support be carried thereby and which will behereinafter more fully described.

The casing l is secured to supporting frame byany suitaJble meansand serves to conceal and therein.

In the lower chamber-f 8 is revolubly mounteda reel 9, thejournals 10 of which are mounted to rotate. in bearings 11 carried by the front andrear. cross bars 57 and 58 of the frame50. A belt or suspension element "protect tlie parts disposed jin the form of a strap12,'of webbing, leather or other suitable i'n'aterial, is wound on said reel, being attached atone end thereto and end passed upwardly through a tube 13, disposed longitudinally. in the chamber and passing through the partition 6, as is shown clearly in Figs. 4 and 5.. a

This belt 12, 'afterleaving tube 13, passes between two rollers 14 and15which are provided with intermeshing cog wheels 16 and 17. The belt after passingTthrough V these rollers, passes around a drum 18which is provided at one end withfla gear wheel 19 which meshes with cog wheel 17 so that all "dangerof the belt slipping during its passage through the rollers is prevented. After leaving the drum 18, the belt passes under a roller 20 as is shown clearly in Fig. 5. From roller 20 it passes out through the opening..

' face of plate 59 and shaft 31. arm 47 of said bell crank extends in a hen- 4 in the top of the casing and is provided at its end with a loop 21 or other attaching device for securing the belt to a fixed sup port which is here shown in the form of a hook H carried by the window frame of the building, but obviously it may be connected with any other support in the room.

' The shaft 22 of drum 18 has fixed to its opposite end a bevel gear 23 which meshes with a similar gear 24 of smaller size. This bevel gear 24 is fixed to a shaft 25 mounted to turn in a bearing 26 carried by the front plate 59 of frame 50, and in a bearing carried by a bracket 27 which projects inwardly from said plate 59 and has an upstanding arm 28 which forms a support for one end of shaft 22 as well as for shaft 25, (see Fig. 4). A worm gear 29 is also fixed to shaft 25 and meshes with a worm 30 on a shaft '1. .31 supported in a bracket 32 which pro ects inwardly at right angles from the plate 59 and the shaft 31 has its other end journaled in a bracket 3.3 carried by said bracket 27 (see Figs. v2 and 4). The pitch of the worm screw 30 is coarse enough to permit gear 29 to drive the worm shaft.

The braking mechanism for this apparatus comprises a disk 34 having a sleeve 35 projecting from its inner face and mounted to slide on and revolve with the shaft 31. Fixed to said sleeve on the enlarged portion 36 thereof is a governor, here shown in the form of two resilient strips 38 and 39 engaged at one end to opposite sides of the sleeve member 36 and at their other ends secured to a collar 40 fixed to shaft 31 and which is preferably adjustable thereon and securedby a set screw 41. Weights 42 are carried by these springs on the outer faces thereof midway their ends in the usual manner and operate to distend the springs when the shaft 31 is rapidly rotated and thereby draw disk 34 inwardly for a purpose now to be described.

Coiiperating with this disk 34 is a brake member 43 of U-shape form. This UeSllitPGCl brake member 43 straddles the shaft 31 and is provided at the free ends of its arms with braking elements 44 composed of any suitable friction material, preferably leather. These elements 44 are designed to engage the inner face of disk 34 preferably near its periphery as is shown clearly in Fig. 2 so that when they shaft is rotated rapidly, the expansion of springs 38, and 39 will cause said disk to move inwardly against said elements 44 and thereby exert a braking action on the shaft 31.

he cross bar 45 of this brake member 43 is-secured to the inner face of the "free end of one arm 46 of a bell crank 46 which plac he n es r ye latter is fulcrumed on the inner face of plate 59 in a plane below shaft 31 as is shown clearly in Fig. 2,*the arm 46 thereof extending vertically upward between the inner The other for controlling the brakingengagement of the elements 44 with disk 34, it being obvious that the raising of set screw 48 will operate to elevate arm 47 of the bell crank thereby causing the arm 46 to move outwardly and force the braking elements 44 carried by the member 43 into close engagement with the disk 34. It will also be obvious that the lowering of this set screw will 7 have the reverse effect and reduce the braking action between the elements 44 and the disk34.

As shown clearly in Figs. .2 and 3, the

arms of the U-shaped braking member 43 havetheir terminals extended laterally toward disk 34 so that the operation of the bell crank as above described will have the effect set forth.

From the above description it will be understood that when this improved device is to be used that the loop 21 will be engaged with a supporting object here shown in the form of a hook H carried by the window casing and after being so engaged, the cas-' ing 1 may be connected to the wearer by placingthe straps-2- and 3 around his body beneath his arms and at the waist respectively as is shown clearly inFig. 1, the easing 1 being disposed in front of the'wearer so that the strap or belt 12will be positioned for convenient grasping by the hands trolled by the braking action between the elements 44 and the disk 34 which as above set forth, may be set at any desired position by means of the set screw 48,

After the descent is made, the device may be detached from the wearer andthe belt 12 again wound up on the. reel ,9 and be again'ready for use. If desired or found e s y, thisb t 12 mm be se e ed n a new belt may be applied to the reel to re- 6 except that the reel9 isdispensed with,

and the belt 12 is folded within the chamber 8 to provide for the use of a longer belt than would be possible when applied to a reel, this being especially desirable when the 'end of the belt as is shown clearly in Fig.

8, and when the device is applied for usethe closure 60 is opened and the weight 62 will cause the belt to drop downwardly to the extreme limit of its length and permit the-casing to pass downwardly thereover in the manner above described, the belt, being threaded through the rollers and the descent of the casing thereon being thus re tarded and its speed controlled.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying l'drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as are within the scope of the claimed invention.

I claim A fire escape of the class described comprising a casing having a transverse partition dividing it into two compartments, a tube in the upper compartment extending through said partition, a reel revolubly mounted in the lower compartment, rollers located above said tube and carrying intermeshing gears, a drum having a gear meshing with one of the roller gears, a guide roller contacting with said drum, a suspension element connected at one end with said reel and wound thereon with its other end passed upwardly through said tube between said rollers around said drum, under said guide roller and out of the casing, means for connecting said element to a support, and retarding means for said element operated by said drum.

In testimony whereof I aflix in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD H. DIETZ.

thereof, I

my signature Witnesses:

H. G. PORTER, C. A. 'WARTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

